Thread control mechanism



THREAD CONTROL MECHANISM Filed Aug. s, 1940 W I TNESSES:

A TTORNE YS.

Patented Oct. 26, 1943 THREADCONTROL MEoHANIsM- Frank A. Kucera, Chicago, Ill, assigner to Union Special Machine Company,Chicago, Ill., a corl poration of Illinois Applicationlaugust s, 1940,seri'a1 No. 350,277 11j claims. `(onlie-242) This invention relates to thread control mecha- `mism useful in connection with sewing or other textile machines where it is desired that a plurality of threads be released in a predetermined relative rate in accordance with the character of the work to be produced by the machines. More specifically, Athe invention has reference to thread control mechanism operative under the principle `disclosed in a co-pending patent application Serial No. 348,373, led July 30, 1940, by John F. Cahill, administrator for Albert S. Riviere, deceased, wherein individual threads en route to the instrumentalities by which they are manipulated, travel one or more times respectively about peripheral portions of` a freely mounted wheel, said wheel being rotated as a consequenceof the tangential pull induced in one( ofthe threads by its manipulating instrumentality with the result that proportionate amounts of the other threadsV are tolled ci for use by their respective manipulating instrumentalities. While the arrangement in the co-pending application referred to serves very satisfactorily in the performance of the function for which it is designed, it is to be noted that to re-thread the machine in the event thatone or `more of the threads are broken, some time is required since they pass about different peripheral portions of a single wheel. ,l

According to my present invention as hereinafter more fully set forth, l facilitate the threadhowever, so that they `may be independently rotatedforre-threading.

` Other objects and attendant advantages will appear from the following description of the drawing, wherein Fig., 1 is a fragmentaryfview, in front elevation, of a sewing machine Vconveniently `embodying the thread control mechanism of my invention. t i L `Fig. 2 is an elevation of the thread 4control mechanism looking as indicated by the angled arrows Il-II in Fig. 1 with the thread control wheels released for convenience orindependent rotation. 4 y Fig. 3 is a fragmentarysectional view taken as indicated by the angled arrows 1119-111 in Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken as indi- `cated by the arrows IV-IV in Fig. 3.

The machine herein villustrated forthe purposes of exemplifying my invention isgenerally ofthe type `disclosed in another 4copending patentappli.-

`cation Serial No. 219,611 led by Charles F. Rubel on July. 16, 1938, which has matured into Patent ,No. `2,254,875 Sept. 2,1941. `.As shown, themachine has tangentially-opposed intermittently-rotated `vertical axisl feeding Wheels or cups I0 and II which are relied upon to intermittently advance, between them, a plurality of superposed fabric `edges for presentation to the stitch forming instrumentalities of the machine. These instrumentalities include a needle I2, a cooperating main looper YI3 and anoveredgelooper I4, for manipulatingindividual threads N, L, `and O in the formation of a joining seam through and around the fabric edges.'A The needle I2 is secured toy `an endwi'se reciprocating horizontal `shaft or bar l, the` main looper I3`to an oscillating shaft I6, which is `inclined somewhat to the horizontal.

and the overedge looper I4 to a similarly inclined shaft I1 Vwhich is reciprocated endwise as well as .oscillated aboutits axis. The shafts I5, I6 and l I'I derive their movements in properly timed rela- "tion from suitable Vactuating mechanism concealed within the frame I8'of the, machine. 'Ifhe needle ,thread N is subject to theaction of a take up eye I9 adjustablyiixed lon the shaft Il of the overedge looper I4, said eye `engaging the thread in the interval between awguide eye on the needle bar I5 and a fixed eye 2"I on the machine frame I8. The main looper thread L is similarly en- "gaged by the take up eye lISS in the interval beftween the eye of the looper I3 and another fixed eye 22y on the machine frame; while a third fixed directing eye l2 3on .the machine frame operates t-o keep thefoveredge looper thread O out of the `way of theother' two Athreads in .its passage to the eye of the overedge looper I4. y

The mechanism which I have devised for controlling the threads N, L and Q en' route from individual sourcesof supply (not illustrated) to the manipulating instrumentalities I2, I3 and I4 `of themachine, is'comprehensively designated in the Vdrawings by the `numeral 25. p As shown in Figi l, this mechanism is located at the iront of ythe-'laterally-projecting top portionliia of the 'machine frame.' From Fig. 3 it will be `noted that the mechanism comprisesa'shouldered anchor- -age nipple'ZB `whereof the threaded shank 21 engages-'into the machine frame. Axially threaded into the nipple 25 is a screw stud 28 the freeend oifwhich serves as an axle'and which has a stop shoulder at 29 to engage the face of said nipple, together with a slotted head 30 at its outer end. `Mounted with capacity for free rotation on the -aXle 28, is a tubular shaft or sleeve 3I having a circumferentially-grooved annular enlargement provided with edge notches 32a, 33a and 34a in one of their flanges for holding the ends of the respective threads N, L and O incident'ltoeinitial Winding. An annular recess35 in therear face I of the wheel 32 is occupied by acollarf'36 which is secured against rotation on the axle 23 by a key 31. As shown, the collar 36 has angular notches 38 '(Fig. 4) in its peripheryproviding camming surfaces to coact with pins shoWn-at'f39 after the manner of aroller clutch in preventing rotationf'of the sleeve-except' in the Adirection of the v'arrows lFigs L1 Jand )4., Surrounding' the the collar 4| vinfricti'onal.pressure'fcontactivi/ith f .Y the "Wheel 34 with"the lre'sult that fthe flatterjin turn eiampsfthe wneel fsafagamsmne wneeri'z. As; a consequence of "this construction't will be seen'thatthethree wheels .32--34 are'norn'ially coupled for *rotation Ain'unison "about thejstil'd ,28. However," by 'drawing the 'c'ol`l@ar"4'| outward against th'e action jo'f the spring k'46 to'clearjthe `'studf45 and thereafter-rotating it'slightlytolbring the rslot 4'3, past the stud as 'shownv in Eig.2"to1ock said collarn 'retractedjpositiom the wheels 33 J and "34 vwill.; he'freed so that they may loe rotated independently ofthe wheel 132 .for apurpose -presently explained. `Secured nbetween the contiguo'isfaceslofthelmachne .frame fandlth'e head of'thenippleiisalthread {guiding element 41 of 7angularconiig1'iration.(Figs. 1 and 2)', whereof the leg ends 43an`d `tilfare'loertlaterally and Y.piercedllat Vintervalsffor#passage fof the threads bLLand Orthrougjh them.V f

Disposed on the machine l jacent the thread control 1 device 25 is "a thread tensioning .devicei :(Fig 1)fconsisting.of afixed stud Et anda-plurality of sgpringfpressed tension disks, v52 (where-ofbut one isgvisible) vwhicl'rare free to rotate onfsai-djstud, Vfand -between pairs l of which the threadS-NLandO releve.

Intraveling from theirseparate sources offsupply, the threadsv N; L and O, l-iirsti pass through the tension ldevice 5i),V then. through the eyesin' the leg 43 ofthe guiding element 41,'thenaround'the wheels-'32, 33 andi34, and; then :through Ithe aper-r tures inlthe otherfleg-49 of` said element.` From thence,A the threadsLN, and@ continue-'on their Way .tothe needlel andl the loopers I3 and I4,v after havingvtraversed 'theusual guides of theV` machine in themanner previously explained.

-During the operationofgthefsewingmachine,

the wheels 32,133 and 34wil1 be rotatedinthe direction of the arroW:in-Fig.,1 ybytangential pull `of oneo the -threadsyand sincesaid Vwheels are r obliged to-rotatetogether, Adenit'e amounts of the other two Ythreadswill be tolled ofi? vin 'proportion'tothefresp'ectivediameters of the correframe |`8 -closely adby withdrawing the collar 4| in the manner already understood. With this accomplished, the Wheels 32, 33 and 34 may be independently rotated to pay out suilicient of the broken threads 5 for the re-threading of the machine, with minimum loss of time, whereupon the collar 43 is again released to reclamp the Wheels 33 and 34 preparatoryivto `.resumption of the sewing. The arrangern'erxtgitwill be noted, makes possible the positionalinterchange of the wheels or the substitution of wheels of dilerent diameters in accordance With the requirements of special condi- Jtion's 'whichllinay be encountered in practice.

rMy in vje n is not to be regarded as limited to i y 'rhoerof thread control Wheels here- Ainillustrated-lloy way of example, since this numloer may, within thev scope of the appended claims, l1loe"varied infac'cordance with the requirements of the-sewing machine with which the thread control mechanism is used. v

f Haln'gfths described myiin'i/et'onQI claimt l 1. fThreadcontrolnecha' is'in'for a t'teitile 'in'a- `chine with afgroup'bfcoperating'thread con'- Icafte'na'tin'g instrumn'calines, comprising f a corres'po'l'i'dil'fl'g`` iih'i'ber" "c0`aXal 'control "wheels aroundfwhiohitheithreads'forisaid cooperating inf'strurn'ehtalities 'fare rindividually Wrapped for travel'thei'feabout'.en 'route to the respective contr'urnent'ali'ties and means "for foonv the Whlele'ls so* thattliey are Yrotated in lu'riiso'nlnorinallyf-under the pull of kone'of the ythreads,@said f'rnans`h`e'ing'ca-pable Yof 'releasing the wlriee'l'sfI "i independent -io'ta-tion to Vfacilitate threading; f 3 l l I '52. .Threadi 'control inechanismfffor -a ytextile lma- "chinewith'a group of cooperating thread con- 'nstrumentaflties -comprising `arcoruniber Tof' *cbntrol A"wheels 'around 'eadsfai'e "individually Wrapped for erealooiitjenrrouteto the respective cony"cat atinginstrumentalities,"and means for'conneen-ng the ',wne'elssq l'that they are *rotated in runison-norrriallyfunderthepull'oi vone of the fthrea'ds', jsaidv rineans fbei'ng c'apjable "of releasing thewhe'els v`for"independentrotation to facilitate threading pf said 'jinstruin'entalities and means vto'prevent'reverse'rotatinof the wheels. Y

3. Thread control mechanism for a teX't-ilemachine 'withfa fg'roup of cooperating. thread Iconcatenating instrumentalities* comprising a corre- 'spending nuniber"of control 'wheels 'mounted side by 'side fon `-a 'common axis,around which the threadsjare vindividually "wrapped one orjmore 'tinr'nesw'lfor vtravel ."theeabo'ut enrouteI to the respective concatenating `iri's't'rui'nentalities;l and means for connectingthe 'wheels sothatV they are ifotat'ed 4infunis''onInoriiziallyViriderithe pull of one ofthe threads, saidr'reans being 4c :apalole'of releasing the' wheels for independent 'rotation to aeilitaterefthreauingz 'ogffsaid "insnfumentaiines inftl'leievent of lriptiireiof Vone or 'more of the threads.

11.l 'Ifhread control mechanismfora textile'machiiiefwith' afgroup vof 'cooperating thread conl .catenating.instrume'ntalities, comprising a corre- 'spondingnuinber or coaxial control wheels around which `the 'threads are individually wrapped one or more times for. travel thereabout en'ruteto 'therrespectiye 'concatenanng instrumentaiities; each-when na g anotenin'itsfperiphey to rehe'corres'ponding thread during leasing the wheels for independent rotation to facilitate re-threading of said instrumentalities in the event of rupture of one or more of the threads.

`5. The combination with thread control mechanism according to claim 1, of means for imposing uniform tension upon the threads en route tothe control wheels.

6. Thread control mechanism for a textile machine with a group of cooperating thread concatenating instrumentalities, comprising a freely rotatable shaft; a plurality of control wheels' event of rupture of one or more of the threads shaft.

mounted side by side on the shaftand around i which the individual threads are Wrapped one or more timesfor travel thereabout en route to the i respective concatenating instrumentalities; and

`catenating instrumentalities, comprising a freely rotatable shaft; a plurality of control wheels mounted side by side on the shaft and around which the individual threads are wrapped for travel thereabout en route to the respective concatenating instrumentalities; and `means connecting the wheelsto the shaft so that they are rotated in unison normally under the pull of one ofthe threads, said means being capable of releasing the wheels )for independent rotation to facilitate re-threading of the machine in the 8. Thread control mechanism according to claim 6, wherein the shaft has a head which constitutes one of the control Wheels; and wherein the connecting means includes `an axially-slidaable spring-pressed collar on the shaft between which collar and the head, the other control wheels are normally clamped against independent rotation.

9. Thread control mechanism according to claim 6, wherein the shaft is tubular and rotates on a fixed axle; `and wherein the shaft is restrained against reverse rotation by clutch means which includes a plurality of circumferentially arranged rollers which are arranged to engage the internal surface of the shaft and which coact with angular cam notches in the surface of the axle.

10. Thread control mechanism according to claim 6, wherein the wheels are circumferentially grooved, and wherein each wheel has a notch in one of its circumferential flanges in which the thread may be engaged and temporarily held to facilitate initial winding of the thread in the groove.

ll. The invention according to claim 7, in

which one of the Wheels is secured to the shaft and the others are rotatably mounted thereon; and in which the said means is spring influenced and maintains said other wheels in frictional engagement with each other and with the first mentioned wheel for restraint normally against independent rotation.

FRANK A. KUCERA. 

